Steve Berry - The Alexandria Link

The bony face betrayed the young man’s testiness, but only for an instant. “We prefer you to eat and rest. Also, you may want to clean yourselves before entering.”

McCollum stepped forward. “We’ve completed your quest. We’d like to see the library.”

“Actually, Mr. Haddad has completed his quest and has earned entry. There was no invitation extended to you or the woman.” Straw Hat faced Malone. “By involving these two, your invitation would normally be voided.”

“Then why am I here?”

“An exception has been made.”

“How do you know who I am?”

“You knew the route of your quest.”

Straw Hat offered no more and left the dining hall, closing the door behind him.

They stood in silence.

Finally Pam said, “I’m hungry.”

Malone was, too. He laid his rucksack on the table. “Then let’s accept their hospitality.”

MARYLAND

STEPHANIE AND CASSIOPEIA RUSHED FROM THE RESTAURANT. Nothing could be done for Larry Daley. His vehicle was a charred mass, still burning. The explosion had been confined to the car, doing little damage to any of the other vehicles.

A targeted strike.

“We need to go,” Cassiopeia said.

She agreed.

They hustled to the Suburban and jumped in, Stephanie behind the wheel. She inserted the key, but hesitated and asked, “What do you think?”

“Unless the president wired this car with a bomb, we’re okay. No one went near it while we were in there.”

She turned the key. The engine roared to life. She drove away just as a police car rounded a corner and wheeled into the parking lot.

“What did he tell you?” Cassiopeia asked.

She summarized the conversation. “I thought he was full of crap. Conspiracies to kill Daniels. But now-”

An ambulance raced past them in the other lane.

“No need for them to be in a hurry,” she said. “He never knew what hit him.”

“A bit dramatic,” Cassiopeia said. “There are a lot quieter ways to kill him.”

“Unless you want attention drawn to the fact. The deputy national security adviser being car-bombed? It’s going to be a big deal.”

She was driving slow, keeping well below the speed limit, working her way out of town and back to the highway. She stopped at an intersection and turned south.

“Where to now?” Cassiopeia asked.

“We need to find Green.”

Five miles and a car appeared in her rearview mirror, closing fast. She expected it to pass and speed down the nearly empty two-lane highway. Instead the gray Ford coupe eased up close to the Suburban’s bumper. She spotted two figures in the front seats.

“We’ve got company.”

They were moving at sixty miles an hour, the road twisty through wooded countryside. Only a few farmhouses disturbed the fields and forest.

A gun appeared out of the front passenger-side window. A pop and the bullet pinged off the rear windshield but did not shatter the glass.

“God bless the Secret Service,” she said. “Bulletproof.”

“But the tires aren’t.”

Cassiopeia was right. She increased their speed and the Ford kept pace. She yanked the wheel left and swerved into the oncoming lane, slowing, allowing the Ford to pass. As it did, the man fired into the side of the Suburban, but the shots ricocheted off.

“We’ve got armor plating, too,” Cassiopeia said.

“Gotta love a tank. Any idea who they are?”

“The one shooting chased us on the mall the other day. So I’d say the Saudis have found us.”

“They must have been on Daley and we turned up.”

“Lucky us.”

She whipped the Suburban back into the southbound lane, now tailing the Ford. Cassiopeia lowered her window and shattered the lead car’s rear window with two shots. The Ford tried a similar maneuver, changing road sides, but had to return to the southbound lane to avoid an approaching truck. Cassiopeia took advantage of the moment and sent another bullet into the rear window.

The passenger in the Ford aimed his gun out the rear, but Cassiopeia discouraged him from firing with another shot.

“We have more problems,” Stephanie said. “Behind us. Another car.”

The other vehicle sat tight on their rear bumper. Two men inside, as well. She kept speeding forward-to stop would place them at the mercy of four armed men.

Cassiopeia seemed to assess the situation and made a decision. “I’m going to take out the tires on the one ahead of us. Then we’ll see about the one behind.”

A pop came from outside, then a bang.

Stephanie felt the right rear of the SUV swerve and instantly realized what had happened. Their own tire had been shot. She pounded the brake and kept the vehicle under control.

Another pop and the left rear jolted.

She knew that ordinary rounds did not explode tires. But they were losing air and she had only a couple of minutes before they’d be riding on rims. She kept the car planing, which should buy them another mile or so.

Cassiopeia handed her a gun and changed the magazine in her weapon. They could initially use the Suburban’s defenses to shield them. After that, it would be a shootout, and the early hour and rural location offered far too much privacy to their attackers.

The rear end settled to the road and a loud clunk told her the trip was over.

She stopped the Suburban and gripped the gun.

The lead Ford skidded onto the shoulder.

The vehicle behind them did the same.

Armed men rolled from both cars.

MALONE FINISHED OFF THE POMEGRANATE, ONE OF HIS FAVORITE fruits, and swallowed another cup of the bitter tea. They’d been left alone about forty-five minutes, though he could not shake the feeling that they were being watched. He spied the surroundings carefully, trying to decide if the room was wired for video. The tables all stood empty, as did a sideboard against one wall. He imagined a mild clatter of plates, the polite scraping of forks, and chatter in several languages that surely accompanied every meal. A door at the far end stood closed, one he assumed led to the kitchen. The refectory itself was cool-thanks, he reasoned, to thick stone walls.

The exterior door opened and Straw Hat entered.

Malone noticed that every action by the young man seemed conducted in the manner of a servant, as if he contemplated only one thought at a time.

“Mr. Haddad, are you ready to enter the library?”

Malone nodded. “Belly’s full and I’m all rested.”

“Then we can go.”

McCollum sprang from his chair. Malone had been waiting to see what he’d do. “Mind if we visit a bathroom first?”

Straw Hat nodded at the request. “I can take you. But then you’re to return here. Mr. Haddad is the invitee.”

McCollum waved the proviso off. “Fine. Just take me to the bathroom.”

Straw Hat asked, “Mr. Haddad, do you require use of the facilities?”

Malone shook his head. “You a Guardian?”

“I am.”

He studied Straw Hat’s young face. The skin was extraordinarily smooth, the cheekbones high, his oval eyes casting an Oriental appearance. “How can you handle this place with so few people? We only saw one coming in.”

“There’s never been a problem.”

“What about intruders?” McCollum asked.

“Mr. Haddad is a learned man. We have nothing to fear.”

Malone let it go. “Take him to the bathroom. We’ll wait here.”

The Guardian turned to Pam.

“I’m fine,” she said.

“We shall return shortly.”

STEPHANIE BRACED HERSELF FOR A FIGHT. SOMEBODY HAD killed Larry Daley and now they wanted her. She was angry that Cassiopeia had been drawn into the fray, but that was a choice her friend had freely made. And she saw no fear, no regret, just determination in Cassiopeia’s eyes.